'Ghastly Future Of Mass Extinction, Climate Disruption', Warn Top Scientists

Earth, our planet, is in a much worse state than most people could comprehend, according to an international group of scientists. The group opined that the urgency of the depleting biodiversity and climate crisis has not been grasped by intelligent human beings.

The planet is facing a "ghastly future of mass extinction, declining health and climate-disruption upheavals" which ultimately rings the survival bells for humans, reported The Guardian.

The scientists include 17 experts from Mexico, Australia and the United States who have penned down a report on the basis on 150 studies detailing the world's major environmental challenges.

"The scale of the threats to the biosphere and all its lifeforms – including humanity – is in fact so great that it is difficult to grasp for even well-informed experts," the report said.

It added that despite the 'steady erosion of the fabric of human civilisation' the mainstream is having difficulty grasping the magnitude of the loss. It has also cautioned against climate-triggered mass migrations, more pandemics in the near-future and conflicts over the use of resources unless global preventive action is taken.

"Ours is not a call to surrender – we aim to provide leaders with a realistic 'cold shower' of the state of the planet that is essential for planning to avoid a ghastly future," it stated.

The study also pointed out that the idea of perpetual economic growth needed to be abolished. Stopping the use of fossil fuels, reining in corporate lobbying, and empowering women are the need of the hour.

An estimated one million species are at risk of extinction, out of which, many will extinct within decades, a recent UN report revealed.

"Environmental deterioration is infinitely more threatening to civilisation than Trumpism or COVID-19," said Prof Paul Ehrlich from Stanford University, one of the experts.

"Our main point is that once you realise the scale and imminence of the problem, it becomes clear that we need much more than individual actions like using less plastic, eating less meat, or flying less. Our point is that we need big systematic changes and fast," Professor Daniel Blumstein from the University of California Los Angeles, who helped write the paper, told the publication.

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